Robot pizza makers have struggled to generate profits. A pair of robots intended to produce pizzas at a Moto Pizza restaurant in Seattle became non-operational in May after their supplier, Picnic, ceased operations. Lee Kindell, founder and CEO of Moto Pizza, stated that the absence of technical support left him questioning the value of investing in robotic technology, which cost $160,000 (£118,000). "I don't know if I want to do a partnership again because of the failures," he remarked.
The robotic pizza-making industry has seen several companies, including Zume and Pazzi, fail to deliver on their promises. Despite the potential for automation in fast food, the integration of robots in pizza restaurants has proven more complex than anticipated. Sara Senatore, a senior restaurants analyst at Bank of America, noted that success stories in this sector have yet to materialize as expected. She explained that food preparation robots often struggle with precision, while humans excel in pizza-making efficiency.
Despite the setbacks, Kindell remains optimistic about automation. He envisions a kiosk where customers can place orders for freshly made pizzas. Kindell, who previously made dough by hand until an injury prompted him to explore automation, is now developing his own pizza-making robot, inspired by 3D printing technology, with hopes of having it operational by summer 2027.
Kindell believes that even fully autonomous pizza robots will not eliminate jobs. He previously utilized Picnic's robots at T-Mobile Park, where the number of staff needed to make pizzas decreased from ten to two, while the remaining employees engaged with customers and promoted the product. "We had so many more people able to hand out the pizza," he said.
Appetronix, a Canadian firm, has installed a robotic pizza unit for the Donatos chain at John Glenn Columbus International Airport, aiming to produce pizzas quickly. Co-founder Nipun Sharma stated that their goal is to assemble pizzas every minute and is exploring faster methods for applying sauce and cutting pizzas.
The debate continues over the balance between automation and the human touch in food preparation. Paul Giannone, owner of Paulie Gee's pizza restaurants, maintains that his establishments prioritize personal customer service and will not adopt robotic technology. Senatore emphasized the importance of human interaction in restaurants, suggesting that a lack of staff could frustrate customers if machines malfunction.
Despite the challenges faced by robotic pizza companies, the technology continues to evolve. Miso Robotics acquired over 300 patents from Zume and aims to integrate this intellectual property into their existing products, such as the Flippy French fry-cooking robot. Rich Hull, CEO of Miso Robotics, believes that the market may not have been ready for robotic pizza-making when Zume was active. Kindell remains committed to the pursuit of automation in pizza production, stating, "There is no doubt in my mind that there will be a fully autonomous pizza robot. It's just, who's going to do it first?"